Turkey’s Foreign Ministry announced on Wednesday that it was concerned about the lack of consensus between Somalia’s political factions on the electoral process.
“We are concerned that the lack of consensus so far among stakeholders on the electoral process in Somalia could disrupt the Somali people’s expectations of the development of their country, as well as achieving peace and prosperity,” the statement said.
It added that Turkey has invited the Somali Federal Government (FGS) and the Federal Member States (FMS) to come together and resolve disputes through an inclusive and constructive dialogue based on the consensus reached on 17 September 2020.
“We emphasize the importance of holding elections without further delay. We reiterate our support for the friendly and fraternal Somali people and government to overcome this stalemate as soon as possible, “the statement added.
Somalia’s president faced a leadership crisis in early February as his term ended without any clear path to elections, and an alliance of opposition parties declared they no longer recognized his authority.
The opposition alliance called on President Mohamed Abdullahi Mohamed, better known by his nickname Farmajo, to “respect the constitution” by standing aside and allowing a peaceful transfer of power.
The Horn of Africa was to elect the next president on February 8, but the deadline was missed because the central government and federal states failed to break a deadlock over how to proceed with a vote. The country is now facing a constitutional crisis along with a violent extremist uprising, a grasshopper invasion and a serious food shortage.
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